gluten-free healing ala GAPS, paleo and nourishing traditions

The world might actually end without gluten.

Gulp. Tomorrow we face our first social-event challenge. So far we’ve mostly done stuff as a family. In fact, I hadn’t even told the kids that we were doing anything different. Which is probably the first thing on the to-do list for most people. Along with tips like consider what they like! get them involved! have them mash the squash themselves!

Well the rubber is hitting the road tomorrow. We have both a fall staff kick-off meeting all day; the kids will be in childcare where a snack of fruit and pretzels are provided. Right after that is our kindergarten co-op ice-cream social. The co-op is featuring ice-cream sandwiches.

So. It had to come up. I tried sneaking it by Sophia in a conversation. I’m all casual, “Hey Sophia, I forgot to tell you. Tomorrow at the kids time, they’re having a snack with pretzels. But that-has-something-in-it that-might-be-making-us-sick, so I’ll pack some really good snacks for you, okay!” Which, for the record, I really would have- I don’t know why PRETZELS would become an issue. Her face turned very firm. “They’ll probably just give it to me, Mom.” Like then we couldn’t do anything about it and she wins. Our conversation spiraled and, as it usually does, she took the upper-hand. Which is how I ended up buying stupid 4 dollar gluten free pretzels. I know Ezra would be crushed too. Once we were playing with some friends who’s mom sent along a large bag of pretzels to share. I don’t think anyone else even got any. Ezra just won’t quit.

I also told them we could pick out popsicles to bring to the party. It might be a fight when we’re there? Which is why you have a family conversation about these things ahead of time, and let them pick things they like, and mash the squash themselves.

On an unrelated note, something that I had never given a second thought before has been just rendering me totally grateful lately. Which is: education. I’ve been heading up a kindergarten co-op which is about to, as mentioned, kick off tomorrow. So I’ve been pondering a bit the hows and the values and the whats of education. It has so much to do with family. Mine has been amazing with this; my grandparents, parents, sisters and their families have done this so well and I respect them enormously and want to go hug them for it. I think “education” really begins by parents being present with their kids. That, as an end in itself. But also in exploring the world, noticing how things work, being in awe of it. That’s how the appetite is developed. Most of us reading this have been given this gift. It has so little to do with us in the first place. Then we take it and add to it and make it ours which is a whole story of it’s own. But yeah- thanks fam. I want to give that gift to my kids too. Who am I kidding, I can already tell Sophia is crazy smart. She’s going to be able to get and understand anything she wants to. But it is more than brains, isn’t it? That’s where my thoughts are sitting right now.

Anyway! I’ll report back tomorrow how the whole thing goes! Over and out.